No one knows who made the first cheese，but an old leqend says that it was an Arabian merchant．He put his milk in a pouch made from a sheep's stomach and set off across the desert．The jouncing of his camel，the desert heat，and the chemicals in the pouch lining made the milk separate into curds and whey．The thick part，or curd，was the first cheese．
Ancient records show that cheese has been eaten for more than four thousand years．From earliest times it has been considered a very nourishing food．Americans eat less cheese than people in some countries do，yet they still consume eight to ten pounds a year per person．

Today cheese is made all over the world．Most cheese is made from cow's milk，because the suppply of this milk is greater throughout the world．Smaller quantities come from the milk of other animals—goats，sheep，camels，and even reindeer．